Read Online Diva 04 _ Diva Cooks a Goose, The by Krista Davis - Free Book Online

best idea to bring her to Laci’s house yesterday.”
    “And just whose idea was that?”
    Phil clenched his fist. “There’s no point in blaming anyone. What’s done is done.”
    “Just as I suspected. You’re blindly going along with anything she says. Don’t you see? She’s trying to drive a wedge between us.”
    “That’s not fair. Bonnie is a fine woman. You’d like her if you had met under other circumstances.”
    “Wake up, Phil. She could have waited a few days instead of ruining Christmas for our whole family. She invited us to this nightmare of a Boxing Day party, and I could have met her then, instead of under the worst possible circumstances.”
    “I’m not going to argue about this with you,” said Phil. “We’re separated. I haven’t done anything wrong.”
    “ Argh . You’re impossible!” Marnie threw her hands in the air. “Then let’s set your relationship aside. What kind of woman dates her son’s girlfriend’s father?”
    “It’s not like that. Besides, she’s not the only woman I dated. Can I help it if Beau happens to have a lovely mother?”
    Marnie clapped a hand against her chest and staggered backward. “There were others? You didn’t waste any time, did you?”
    “Good grief, Marnie. You expected me to curl up by myself and whither away? You were the one who wanted me out of the house. Surely you expected me to date.”
    “I thought you would live in a pigsty and eat nothing but fast food until you came to your senses and realized how good you had it with me.”
    “You were waiting for me to come home?”
    “I didn’t expect you to marry right away.”
    Phil massaged his forehead. “That came as a surprise to me, too.”
    Laci wrapped a hand across her eyes for a moment and sighed. When she removed it, she said, “Enough. You two are only making things worse for Shawna.”
    Her parents had the good sense to look over at their younger daughter. Tears streaked her makeup but she had managed to compose herself.
    Beau addressed us. “I’m going back to join my mother’s party now. I’m sure you understand. I trust one of you will see Shawna safely home?”
    I wondered what he could possibly have said to her to help her dry her eyes.
    Phil toddled over to Shawna, hugged her, and murmured something in her ear. He clapped a hand on Beau’s back and the two of them headed for the stairs.
    “Where do you think you’re going?” demanded Marnie.
    Phil stopped briefly to look back at her, but he didn’t say a word. He seemed sad, but he walked up the steps, away from his family.
    My dad broke the tension when he said, “I’m starved.”
    Marnie and Mom shot him incredulous looks, but Jen saved him by piping up, “Me, too.”
    Shawna sniffled and declared, “I hate that woman. She ruined everything.” Her tone rose with hysteria until it was a shriek that drew the attention of everyone in our vicinity. “First she stole Daddy and now Beau can’t propose to me because it won’t be special, and Christmas is over!”
    Marnie embraced her daughter and walked her toward the door, past a shaggy-haired young man, who looked on, his expression troubled.
    “It doesn’t have to be Christmas, honey. He can propose anytime.” Marnie shot my mother a helpless look, and I knew she didn’t believe a proposal would be forthcoming.
    Since I hadn’t been to the grocery store, and I’d brought my leftovers to Laci’s, we decided to get takeout from The Laughing Hound and left Hannah and Dad behind to carry it back to my place.
    The rest of us trudged home, the picture of gloom and doom, instead of happy partygoers. After a couple of blocks, Shawna peeled off, claiming she needed time alone to think.
    If it had been Hannah, I would have coaxed her to come home with us, but Shawna wasn’t my sister, and Laci didn’t intervene.
    The rest of us hurried home, hungry and cold. But the second we entered my house, I knew something was wrong. Daisy didn’t rush to the foyer to